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I’m still getting settled in my new place, so blogging will be light for a couple days.

The place is great. It’s in an old hotel that has been converted into lofts. It’s right on Music Row, so it’s where the big acts would stay in the 1950s and 60s when they were in town to record a new record. The building’s maintenance man is a retired long-time roadie for Kenny Rogers. My loft is apparently the suite where Jerry Lee Lewis usually stayed. So I am of course teaching myself “Great Balls of Fire” on the piano.

Daisy isn’t crazy about the hardwood floors, so I guess I’ll be getting some rugs. We’ll have to scope out some dog parks this weekend, too. The building includes a wonderfully ostentatious guitar-shaped swimming pool designed by honky tonk legend Webb Pierce. The first floor includes the old hotel room service kitchen. There’s a baker who uses the facility each morning to make bread for restaurants across the city. I am told if you’re nice to him he’ll give you a loaf. So that’s pretty great.

The location is really nice, too. I’m surrounded by studios, so it’s quiet. But it’s also just a few blocks (“stumbling distance,” you might say) from some great bars, restaurants, and live music.

I really had no particular reason for choosing Nashville, other than I’m a music lover and I’ve heard great things about the city. It was just time to get out of D.C. Nice thing about having a portable job. But so far, I’m pretty happy with the choice. I’m thinking about starting a little side blog about the town and my process of discovering it. The general content would be a mix of photos, interviews, reviews, and a little digging into interesting stories around the city. So here’s a list of blegs for Nasvhillians, current and former: Suggestions on what to call the blog? People I should interview? Places to visit and write up? Must-do, but not as well known events in the city?

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on Tuesday, June 1st, 2010 at 3:19 pm by Radley Balko
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Welcome to the south Radley. As a music lover you should check out the Bonnaroo Music Festival. Never been, but would love to check it out. Weekend long event in just a couple weeks. It is in Manchester, TN, not too far out of Nashville.

Good luck with the move. I think you’ve picked a great city. While you’re there, check out a buddy of mine who just moved from Austin to N’ville, Matt Powell. He’s a hell of a song writer, in my opinion.

I like the idea about blogging your experiences in the city. Good luck.

Most telling line from the story: “The commenting function on this story has been turned off because of abuse.”

Sometimes there just aren’t words to describe the cruel beasts that humans can be. And I’ll take any cat in the world ahead of any cop. Cops, every one of them, can lie choking in their own blood and vomit screaming for help and I’ll just walk in the other direction.

There are still lots of houses and businesses with piles of ruined drywall and furniture, etc out front. Hooters reopened last week. It’s probably about a hundred feet from the Cumberland river. There are several buildings still hooked up to blowers, like the Symphony.

I talked to a lady today who told me the city is talking about buying a whole subdivision next to the Harpeth River in Bellvue and bulldozing it-they want to turn it into green space. There have been a lot of tax implications to the flood, both sales and property.

I keep wondering if anyone who moved away from NO during Katrina ended up here.

Buddy Miller and the Bluebird are pretty good reasons to move to Nashville. John Hiatt lives outside of Nashville… The river’s beautiful. The bar-b-que kinda sucks, though. Rippy’s is WAY over-rated.

Nashville doesn’t seem to have the racial edge to it that Memphis has… lots of kids chasing their dreams. Every time I’ve been there, the cops have been helpful and nice, even when dealing with hockey or festival crowds.

For a truly Nashville experience you must try hot chicken. Prince’s, 400 degrees or Bolton’s all make a mighty fine piece of chicken. It’s addicting so be prepared to crave it at least once a week if not more!

A couple of random,lesser known (lesser known outside of Nashville at least) events / things to do / places to go:

Americana Music Festival in September: great lineup of alt-country
Carl’s Perfect Pig – best BBQ in area – in White Bluff – about 25 min from Nashville (West)
Grimey’s records on 8th – for music (and sometimes live music while you’re shopping for music)
Station Inn – in Gulch; great bluegrass
East Nashville (the music joints, good restaurants)

The great thing about Nashville, particularly if you like music, is that there are genuinely good bands playing somewhere on any given night at places like Mercy Lounge, 12th and Porter, 3rd and Lindsey, and numerous places in East Nashville, etc. that are a cut above the type of band you’d hear in most cities on an average night. And it’s not all country or some version of country. Pick up a copy of the Nashville Scene or visit them online for a good rundown of the music lineup on any given night

This story really bothered me. I absolutely hate it when dumb fucks move to “heavily wooded areas” and proceed to try to eradicate any and all living creatures because they spoil the woods for them. If any other idiots are thinking of doing this (like this dipshit trooper did), stay in the city instead.

If you live in the woods, creatures are part of the story. The fact that this complete asshat is disturbed that a kitten is walking on his car is proof enough that he needs to never leave the confines of a city.

Boyd, I can’t speak for the early nineties, but Nashville music is pretty damn good right now and getting better every day. Check out Madi Diaz, Erin McCarley, The Features and Heypenny. The indie/pop/rock scene is attracting a lot of transplants. This town is full of songwriters and world class musicians – most of them will be serving you at a restaurant by day and rehearsing their band by night. And a lot of them don’t play country music..

There is no better place to see your favorite artist than The Ryman. Neil Young there tonight. And tomorrow I think. I saw Andrew Bird and The Shins there a few years ago. Amazing venue.

That said, I’d love to spend two weeks in Austin. Only heard really great things.

Radley – Red Door is one of those Midtown bars you were talking about stumbling home from…they make really hefty whiskey diets. And Dan McGuiness at the roundabout has some pretty good scotch eggs. Try the Patterson House, also just a few blocks away, for eye-dropper precision cocktails. 12 bucks a drink but one is all you need.